


One Life for the Two of Us

by Monsieur_Grenouille



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Canonical Character Death, M/M, So many songs come to mind for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24201598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monsieur_Grenouille/pseuds/Monsieur_Grenouille
Summary: Klaus has a hard time when it comes to death
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	One Life for the Two of Us

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this last night in my notebook

“Ben?” Klaus whispered as he stared at his brother’s bed with teary eyes. “Ben, wake up.” He reached out with his _Goodbye_ hand, slipping it under Ben’s own. It was cold, waxy, and unreal. Ben’s eyes were closed, his lips neither smiling nor frowning. Tears slid down the 15 year old’s face. “C’mon, Ben,” he urged, “I need you.” 

Diego put his hand on Klaus’s elbow. “Don’t,” he murmured. 

“ _Don’t_ what?” Klaus sniffled, “He’s not really dead.” 

“Yes, he is,” said Diego, “He’s been dead for hours. We just didn’t want to tell you right away.” He moved closer, hugging Klaus’s back to his chest. 

Klaus choked out a sob. “Ben!” he cried, “Talk to me! Prove you're still here.” He squeezed Ben’s hand. The other Hargreeves children watched from the hallway, all holding back tears of their own. Even Five — stern, apathetic, Five — had his forehead bowed down onto his knuckles. Vanya started to walk forward, but Five stretched out his free arm to block her. 

Klaus and Ben had been close. A superglue, Velcro, duct tape type of close. Klaus knew Ben hadn’t been feeling okay the past few months, but he tried to ignore it. He was denying his own brother’s sickness. He knew that Ben couldn’t do certain things, like play baseball outside or ride bikes, but he’d just sit in Ben’s room with him while the others did those things. 

Over time, Ben stopped talking. Breathing was too hard for him. He carried around a pad of paper, writing down what he wanted to say. One day, Klaus was asking questions about how Ben had been doing. He’d sort of taken over Grace’s job. “Does it hurt?” 

Ben nodded.

”Where?” 

Ben took Klaus’s hand and placed it on his chest. 

Klaus could feel Ben’s heartbeat, and he knew what he was trying to say, but he tried not to address it. “Y-You’re chest hurts? You can’t breathe?” 

Ben shook his head. He reached over to the bedside table to grab the tablet. He scratched down some words and handed it to Klaus. As Klaus read it, he held back his tears. It said, _You know what hurts._

Klaus whimpered. “Yeah, I do. I know what hurts. I just... I don’t want you to die.” 

Ben let a few tears out, nodding and staring straight ahead. For the first time in weeks, he opened his mouth to speak. “You can do this without me,” he whispered, “Don’t let this drag you down.”

Klaus didn’t reply. He didn’t know what to say. He knew what a dying wish was, and he knew it was the least he could do to follow through with it, but this just seemed too hard. He bent down to kiss Ben on the top of the head. Ben smiled painfully up at him, then took the tablet from Klaus’s lap. Klaus watched as his brother wrote another message. 

_Turn on that one Beatles record. I think we both need it now._

“Klaus,” Diego said, slightly more stern. Klaus snapped to life. 

“What?” he replied, startled. 

Diego handed him a tablet of paper. “We figured you might want to hold onto this. After all, he talked to you most.” 

Klaus smiled softly and flipped through some of the pages, just to remember some of their conversations. “He did, didn’t he? Do you know if we have his voice on recording?” 

Diego nodded. “Entire security tapes, actually. Do you want to sit here alone for a few more minutes?” 

Klaus nodded and sat down in the wooden chair beside Ben’s dead body. “I just need more time with him. If he wakes up, I’ll be sure to let you know.” 

Diego swallowed hard and put his hand on the doorknob. “Okay,” he said through a voice crack. “Do you have anything you want to ask or say before I go?” 

Klaus hesitated before turning his back and asking, “What if he tells one of his jokes that are only funny to him? Who’ll laugh to make sure he’s not alone?” 


End file.
